If you are looking for help in using the KDE Workspace or KDE Applications then please visit the [http://userbase.kde.org/ KDE UserBase}.

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If you are looking for help in using the KDE Workspace or KDE Applications then please visit the [http://userbase.kde.org/ KDE UserBase].

If you have any questions or problems with building or developing KDE Software please feel free to [[Development/Getting_Help|ask for help]]. However, be patient while waiting for a response, and try to work through the problem yourself, we aren't going to do it ''all'' for you. Working your way through and understanding why something doesn't work is a good way to learn how to do things the right way.

If you have any questions or problems with building or developing KDE Software please feel free to [[Development/Getting_Help|ask for help]]. However, be patient while waiting for a response, and try to work through the problem yourself, we aren't going to do it ''all'' for you. Working your way through and understanding why something doesn't work is a good way to learn how to do things the right way.

This page is yet to be reviewed for changes required by the migration to Git. Information and commands on this page may no longer be valid and should be used with care. Please see the KDE Git hub page for more details.

Introduction

There are several possible ways to build and install KDE software and the method you choose depends on what you want to do with the software once it is built.

You may want to:

Develop a standalone application using the KDE Platform

Develop one of the KDE Applications

Develop the KDE Workspace or the KDE Platform

Test the latest KDE Software or an earlier stable version

In particular, for application development you may only need to build some parts of the KDE SC while relying on the KDE Platform stable packages from your distribution.

The table below provides some guidance in making this decision, but before you start building please read the rest of the page for more detailed information on Getting Started.

Official Release

Nightly Build

Stable from Source

Master (Recommended)

For the casual user, or for application testers and developers who are working on applications outside of KDE SC

For application testers and developers who's applications require features from the unstable branch

For KDE SC and applications developers or testers that want to spend less time setting up a build system

For developers and testers working on core KDE SC functionality for the next release. Recommended for active developers.

Use a Distribution with KDE to set up a fully functional KDE system in one step. Also install the "developer packages" if you want to compile KDE software

Getting Help

If you are looking for help in using the KDE Workspace or KDE Applications then please visit the KDE UserBase.

If you have any questions or problems with building or developing KDE Software please feel free to ask for help. However, be patient while waiting for a response, and try to work through the problem yourself, we aren't going to do it all for you. Working your way through and understanding why something doesn't work is a good way to learn how to do things the right way.

Building and Running KDE Software From Source

There are a series of steps you need to understand and follow to successfully build KDE Software from source. The following sections will take you through the process: